Shovel loaders



May 13, 1969 SVEN-ERIK N. ERIKSSON 3,443,704

SHOVEL LOADERS Filed June 2e, 1967 I sheet of 2 I NVE N TOR. Svem-[r/Mvc EPI/esso n,

May 13, 1969 SVEN-ERIK N. ERlKssoN 3,443,704

SHOVEL LOADERS Filed June 26, 1967 Sheet of 2 United States Patent U.S.Cl. 214-131 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shovel loader isprovided having a transportable substructure, a shovel movable on saidsubstructure from a low digging and loading position to an elevateddischarge position, an operator manipulated means on the substructurefor arresting and holding said shovel in an intermediate positionbetween said low digging and said elevated discharge position.

This invention relates to improvements in shovel loaders and one objectof the invention is to provide shovel loaders of the type in which ashovel is movable on a substructure from a low digging and loadingposition in front or somewhat sideways of the loader to a raiseddischarge position in which the shovel discharges its contents into ahopper, a mine car or some other receiver or onto a conveyor for thematerial to be handled. It is often desirable to be able to operate suchshovel loaders in inclined shafts or tunnels or similar undergroundpassages. The shovel in machines of this type is usually operated by aseparate shovel operating motor whereas motor or motors are provided fordriving traction means such as Wheels or bands. In many cases such aloader must move a short distance on an incline from a pile of materialwhere it is digging towards a receptacle or mine car or the like inwhich the shovel is going to be discharged and during this movement theshovel has to be carried in a position between digging position anddischarge position. This is ditiicult for the operator and consumesunnecessary amounts of air or other operating energy. When a loaderconstructed in this way reaches the material receiver or mine car behindthe loader the operator can full the throw and throw the contents of theshovel into the mine car or receptacle or the like, and then return tothe pile of material.

In the drawings one embodiment of a loader according to the invention isillustrated by way of example but the invention may naturally bemodified in several different ways. In the drawings FIG. la and lbillustrate a shovel loader working in an inclined mine shaft. FIG. lashows the loader in digging position and FIG. lb shows the loader inposition ready to throw the material contents of the shovel into a minecar. FIG. 2 is a side view and partial longitudinal section of a shovelloader of the type illustrated in FIGS. la.' and b on a larger scale.FIG. 3 is a side View and partial section illustrating a catching meansin the form of a pressure uid operated hook member and FIG. 4 is asection on line IV-IV in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a front end view and partialtransverse section and FIG. 6 a side view of the operating member andcontrol valve for the catching means.

The loader illustrated in FIGS. la and b in FIG. 2 consists of asubstructure 1 carried by four traction wheels 2 operated by a notillustrated traction motor. The loader is provided with a shovel 3 whichis carried by an arm structure which in the present case consists of tworocker arms 4 which by means of rocker members 5 may roll on guide rails33 on the substructure 'from a low digging or filling position, asillustrated in FIG. la full lines, to a raised 3,443,704 Patented May13, 1969 a ICC similar loaders, for instance to the type of loaders inwhich the shovel arms are pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft in thefront portion of the substructure 1. Furthermore, many loaders of theabove type have a substructure divided in an upper and a lower part, theupper part being capable of swivelling on a vertical axis relative tothe lower part to enable the shovel to dig in positions swung towardsthe sides of the longitudinal center line of the loader.

The illustrated loader is of the pneumatically operated type, but theinvention is also applicable to electrically driven loaders. Theillustrated loader is provided with a shovel operating motor 6 whichdrives chain reel 7 for a shovel operating chain 8 carried over a roller9 mounted at the discharge end of the loader. The chain -8 is connectedto a transverse bar 10 secured to the shovel arm structure 4 by sidemembers 11. A second transverse bar 12 is secured to and extends betweenthe rocker arms 4 and forms a catch engaging member for the shovel armstructure. A heavy hook member 13 is journalled on a transverse shaft 14mounted on brackets 15 on the substructure 1. The hook member 13 isprovided with a downwardly directed arm 16 which is pivotally connectedto a link 17 which is connected with a piston rod 18 of a membranepiston provided in a conventional membrane piston housing 19. Thehousing 19 has a throat 35 which is screw threaded as at 20 and may belocked by a screw 21 provided in a member 34 by engaging the screwthread 20 in order to lock the housing throat 35 in a position in whichthe hook member 13 cooperates with the rocker arm structure andparticularly the transverse bar 12 in a proper Way. The member 34 swingson pivots 38 fitted in the brackets 15.

The membrane piston housing 19 is connected through a conduit 36 to acontrol valve housing 22 at 23. The control valve housing 22 contains ashovelling control valve (not illustrated) and an auxiliary valve 24 forthe membrane housing 19 which may 'be operated by a lever 25. Operationof the lever in the direction of the arrows 26" and 26 operates themotor `I5 for raising or dumping of the shovel in conventional manner.The lever 25 may also be operated in the direction of the arrow 27 andupon such operation the lever I25 swings on pivots 37 and operates thevalve 24 to a position in which air is admitted to housing 19 and themembrane piston in the housing moves the rod 18 against Spring pressureso that the hook 13 is raised to engage and hold the shovel armstructure in the position illustrated in FIG. 2 and upon operationopposite the arrow 27 the housing 19 is vented and the spring in thehousing and gravity moves the hook 13 into inoperative position.

28 is a traction motor control valve housing and 29 an operating leverfor the traction motors of the loader by means of which the loader canbe driven up and down and also run in curves if desired.

When the loader according to the invention is operated in an inclinedshaft as indicated by 30 in FIGS. la, b and where it is desired totransport material from a pile of material 31 to a mine car 32 or otherreceiver the loader is rst moved into the position 1a and the shovelmotor is operated to fill the shovel and raise the shovel a little abovethe intermediate position illustrated in FIG. 1lb. The hook 13 is thenmoved into operative position and this shovel lowered so it engages thehook. The operator then pulls the handle 25 in the direction of thearrow 27 to raise the hook 13. The shovel loader is then moved to theposition in FIG. 1b until the loader is close to the mine car 32 or thelike. In this position the operator manipulates the lever 25 or theposition 26 for fulfilling the throwing stroke so that the shoveloperating motor 6 moves the shovel to discharge position, as illustratedin chain dotted lines in FIG. 1b, thereby emptying its contents into themine car 32 or the like. Then the operator returns the Shovel and loaderto the position in FIG. la for a new shovel load by moving lever 25 asindicated by 26'. It is obvious that upon movement of the loader fromthe position in FIG. la to the position in FIG. 1b the shovel motor isnot relied upon for keeping the shovel in the intermediate positionillustrated in full lines in FIG. lb with a full load of material in theshovel.

I claim:

1. In a shovel loader, a transportable substructure, a shovel movable onsaid substructure from a low digging position to an elevated dischargeposition, an arm structure arranged for carrying said shovel, a pressureuid control valve on the substructure, an operating handle for saidpressure iluid control valve on the substructure, a pressure uidoperable catching means on the substructure, a catch-engaging member onsaid arm structure, a pressure uid operable power actuator arranged onthe substructure for moving said catching means from an inoperativeposition to an operative position in which it catches and holds saidcatch-engaging member and the arm structure in an intermediate positionbetween said digging and said discharge position, the arm structurebeing a rocker arm structure movable on rails on the substructure, andthe catch-engaging member being a transverse bar carried by said rockerarm structure, the catching means comprising a hook pivotally mounted onthe substructure and power swingable from an inoperative low position inwhich the -bar may pass the hook in a direction toward dischargeposition but is arrested'in an intermediate position upon movement in adirection lfrom discharge position and held against swinging towarddigging position in said intermediate position.

2. In a shovel loader, a transportable substructure, a shovel movable onsaid substructure from a low digging position to an elevated dischargeposition, an arm structure arranged for carrying said shovel, a pressureiluid control valve on the substructure, an operating handle for saidpressure i'luid control valve on the substructure, a pressure fluidoperable catching means on the substructure, a catch-engaging member onsaid arm structure, and a pressure uid operable power actuator arrangedon the substructure for moving said catching means from an inoperativeposition to an operative position in which it catches and holds saidcatch-engaging member and the arm structure in an intermediate positionbetween said digging and said discharge position.

3. A shovel loader according to claim 2, in which the arm structure is arocker arm structure movable on rails on the substructure and thecatch-engaging member is a transverse bar carried by said rocker armstructure, the catching means comprising a hook pivotally mounted on thesubstructure and power swingable from an inoperative low position inwhich the bar may pass the hook to an operative raised position in whichthe bar may pass the hook in a direction toward discharge position butis arrested in an intermediate position upon movement in a directionfrom discharge position and held against swinging toward diggingposition in said intermediate position.

4. A shovel loader according to claim 3, in which arresting means forsaid shovel is controlled by an operating member provided forcontrolling a shovel-operating motor.

5. A shovel loader according to claim 4, in which said member is movablefrom a neutral position in two opposite directions for raising orlowering the shovel respectively, and in two other opposite directionsfor bringing the arresting means into operative and inoperativepositions respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,114,706 4/1938- Espeland214-131 2,505,639 4/1950 Eaton 214-131 3,081,890 3/1963 Schwartz et al.214--131 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 214-765

